In their 52-45 overtime loss Saturday, the Red Raiders gave up 674 yards, the most in longer than Tech officials could immediately pinpoint - at least since the 2003 Oklahoma State game when Tech yielded 673.

Not that it was a major surprise. Baylor came in with the nation's second-ranked total offense, individual total offense leader Nick Florence and a Biletnikoff Award finalist in Williams.

"This (Baylor) team today did the same thing to most people in scoring points," Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said. "We just weren't able to outscore them."

Williams caught seven passes for 175 yards and a touchdown, boosting his season totals to 89 for 1,693 and 12. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior from Dallas White lined up on both sides of the formation - sometimes split out, sometimes in the slot - which meant he tortured multiple defensive backs.

He caught passes for 41 and 40 yards over Eugene Neboh, one for 36 yards over D.J. Johnson and ones for 37 yards and a 4-yard touchdown against Cornelius Douglas. Nickel back Tre Porter covered him some, too.

Tech stuck with Neboh and Douglas in the fourth quarter and overtime, but rotated in Derrick Mays and Bruce Jones for much of the game.

"Our coach told us a week ahead of time we were going to rotate," said Douglas, back from a knee injury for the first time since Oct. 13. "Keep your legs fresh. Keep the corners coming in and out."

But the Bears kept coming - with more and more success. In the first half, Baylor milked only 14 points from 398 yards, thanks to two missed field goals and a goal-line stand by Tech.

But the Red Raiders could not get into the locker room without giving Baylor an easy touchdown just before halftime when Florence found a wide-open Levi Norwood for 39 yards.

"One guy didn't get the call, which is what happens sometimes," Tuberville said. "We had the backup corner in there. We were supposed to be playing three deep, and he jumped an out route."

That served as a kick start for Baylor, and the Bears turned it on in a big way from the middle of the third quarter on. Their last six series netted four touchdowns, a field goal and a missed field goal with the Red Raiders powerless to get a stop.

What were Tech defensive players thinking when Baylor got on the late roll?

"Pretty much, just try to settle down," middle linebacker Will Smith said. "Everybody get on the same page, so we're all focused and just execute our own jobs. Sometimes we get a little bit ahead of ourselves and don't settle down. That's how mistakes happen."

Tech did nothing to reverse the course of some major trends going into the game: The Red Raiders haven't been causing turnovers or containing big plays for more than a month. Baylor came in leading the nation in plays of 30-plus yards and 40-plus yards.

On Saturday, the Bears made nine plays of 30 yards or longer - and Tech didn't get any turnovers for the fifth game in a row. Six of the big plays were passes, and two long runs by speed back Lache Seastrunk helped him to a 136-yard performance.

Asked whether the long dry spell in turnovers involves bad luck or defensive issues, Tuberville said, "Well, I'd say when you give up 700 yards, you've got problems on both. Our guys played hard. We won some games on defense this year. We're going to end up ranked in the top 30 or 40. That's much better than where we were last year."

It was the second week in a row and fourth time in six games Tech yielded more than 50 points.

Tuberville said the Red Raiders can still use some more speed and some more size to stop the run.

And to keep the Bears under control, the Red Raiders needed more people.

"I tell you, they get you in a tough spot," Tuberville said. "Their quarterback and wide receivers spread you out sideline to sideline. Put five in the box, they run it. Put six in the box, they throw it. We were hoping to get one or two turnovers, but it just didn't happen."

To comment on this story:

don.williams@lubbockonline.com • 766-8734

george.watson@lubbockonline.com • 766-2166

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